Final Fantasy: Celestial Catastrophe
by Omega Warrior 42
Summary: An old and powerful enemy arrives on a world known as Spira. It has only one purpose: dominion over all that live on the planet. The fate of the world for millenia to come rests on the success or failure of the Final Warrior of Spira.
1. Default Chapter

**FINAL FANTASY:**

C E L E S T I A L C A T A S T R O P H E

_Life is one continuous story. _

_One life begins, while another ends._

_But life is an endless book,_

_whose only ends are of its chapters._

_Listen to the story of one chapter;_

_As it ends, another will begin..._

Prologue: 1030 years ago...

War plagued the land. Great creatures and machina converged on bloodstained plains, and countless fighters met their end day by day. All anyone ever thought about was war; after all, everyone was in it. Zanarkand and Bevelle...two colossuses fighting for dominance over one planet. War laid on the backs of all who were in it, of all who fought it. War, at the level these two fought it, allowed only a tunnel-vision of their world. Through its veil, little else was ever noticed, or cared about.

No one noticed, for instance, that amid the flares of rockets and fireballs flying back and forth between armies, one flash in the night sky wasn't artillery. Neither was it magic, nor searchlight beam; nor was it even of Spira.

No one cared about the flare of entry created by the object from space, the small meteor-like craft bearing a cargo far worse than the war itself. Everyone saw it; but no one felt that it was important. It had nothing to do with their war, and few even acknowledged that it had ever happened.

But they would feel the effects of its impact for millennia to come.

One creature, carrying its precious cargo, emerged from this craft. The creature had a purpose to be here. It knew of this war, what it entailed, what it could do for its plans.

It was time...

Yu Yevon had plenty to be proud of. A beautiful daughter, his own summoning prowess, his world in his hands. He, more than anyone he knew, had the ability to direct his own destiny.

But Yu was not feeling proud just now. He was feeling worried. _Not surprising_, he thought to himself. After all, he had a losing war to fight. But that wasn't what worried him, now, as he had just summoned the greatest Aeon in existence, one that he hoped would turn the tide of the battle. A magnificent, fearsome creature it was. But he still felt the familiar goodness radiating out of it. It was sad, though, that his lifelong friend had sacrificed himself as the Aeon's Fayth. It couldn't be done any other way. At least his friend would always be with him. This, at least, was what Yu preferred to believe. With the help of his friend, Yu could surely end this conflict and save his people, who even now were preparing to flee for their lives.

But that wasn't what had him worried. No, it wasn't worry, not anymore. It was as though something wasn't right. He felt, suddenly, a sense of wrongness, a feeling of evil that he couldn't shake. Much the opposite of the Aeons he had so very often called to his aid.

He wasn't worried, not now. He was scared. Very scared.

And whatever the evil was, it somehow seemed to know it.

"Who's there?" Yu said into the night.

Silence was his only reply. Silence all around him.

_Maybe it's just me...I hope it's just me._

Still nothing. But the feeling was worse, now. He felt as though the evil was just behind him.

He whipped around, expecting to find some hideous fiend like a Marlboro preparing to consume him.

Nothing. Front and back, right and left, completely clear. But he knew something was there.

And then it hit him. If there was nothing around him...

He looked up, and started as he stared directly into a face. A beautiful face.

One with blood red eyes.

Yu didn't have time to scream. The creature was on him in an instant.

But the creature wasn't interested in his flesh. It wanted the body intact.

Impossibly, it slid down his throat.

Yu didn't scream; he wasn't able to.

When Yu awoke, nothing was different about him physically. Even though his last waking memory was of a creature forcing itself down his gullet, his throat was still intact.

But something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong. He had no control over his body.

But the creature did.

The creature radiated evil out of its new slave.

_No, this cannot be happening! Release me, demon!_Yu thought in pure terror.

**_Fool. You have no say in this now. You are mine to control. I shall use you as I choose. _**something within his mind responded.

_What are you?_

_**You will find out. You will see how I will rule the existence of these miserable wretches.**_

The creature summoned Yu's Final Aeon. Yu was powerless to stop it, his mind divorced from his body. The Aeon appeared as it had before, bowing before its master. As it raised it's head, the Aeon felt its opposite's evil and reared back in instinctive disgust. A quarter of a millisecond was all it needed to react to the unexpected threat.

It didn't, however, get that quarter of a millisecond.

Dark power enveloped the body of Yu Yevon. Like the creature had done to him, Yu Yevon entered the Aeon.

_**It is done. The power of all sins shall rule this planet.**_

**CHAPTER 1: Dawn of Night**

(time: present)

A caravan of carts rolled down the old path, pulled by well-bred chocobos. The carts carried various supplies of the most festive kind. Ahead of the carts, several dignitaries rode on chocobo-back. Behind the carts were some small machine sleds carrying others. The center cart of the caravan was larger than the rest. It carried the guests of honor: two men, three women, and one Ronso, perhaps the most famous group in all of Spira.

The defeaters of Sin.

It was Sindependence Day, the thirtieth since the death of the bane of Spira, a commemoration of the start of the Eternal Calm. For the guests of honor, the treatment today was no less than regal.

The ceremonies were to take place in the Thunder Plains this year. For some reason, the storms of the Thunder plains had stopped a decade earlier. It seemed fitting to rename the area to match its new, more cheery weather.

The entourage had just passed through Guadosalam. Few people visited the place, as it had been years since anyone could safely enter the Farplane. The bright daylight greeted the travelers in its enveloping warmth. The day was perfect for the festival. Fiends were now a rare sight, and no one worried about an attack. The day was, so far, going off without a hitch.

Suddenly, the passenger-laden cart came to a jolting halt. The Hypello driver turned to see what was holding it up. Apparently, one of the wheels had fallen into a rut left by the lightning storms of old.

"Oh, no! I am terribibly shorry!" the Hypello exclaimed to his passengers. "We sheem to be shtuck.". By that time, several escort men were working on prying up the wheel with boards.

They weren't having much success.

"Geez, that's not gonna come outta there easy, ya?" Wakka said and frowned. The day had gone so well, too; now...

"Stand aside. I'll handle this," a powerful voice said behind them.

Everyone turned. A brown-haired man stepped forward. He looked very young, perhaps no older than twenty or so, though his manner made him seem much older. He wore a peculiar armor over his chest and shoulders, one unlike that of any organization in Spira. As Tidus turned in his seat to see this bold interloper, the man removed his armor, revealing toned and heavyset muscles in his arms and shoulders. He rubbed both arms briefly as the other men stepped aside, seemingly not willing to stop him. _He can't be serious,_ Tidus thought, realizing what this man intended to do. _He thinks he can move this thing by himself? Why don't they stop this screwball from hurting himself, anyway?_

Apparently, they knew more about him than Tidus did.

The man reached forward and gripped the wheel with a hold that could crush bone. "**Errrrrrrrrrrrrgh!**" slipped through his clenched teeth as he pulled on the wheel, his muscles straining and compacting themselves to accomodate the weight. Much to Tidus's surprise, the entire cart, passengers and all, began to slowly rise out of the rut. The chocobos pulling the cart took cue from the shift on their reigns, moving forward about a foot. The wheel met solid ground, and the cart wheeled safely out.

By now, everyone in the cart and around it was staring with their jaws dropped. The man stood back up with a slight smile across his his lips, apparently satisfied with his work.

Tidus was blown away by this feat. Never in the 47 years of his life would he have believed that such a thing was possible. As the man walked away, he asked the driver if he knew who that was. "I dubn't know," the hypello replied, "but he'sh in today'sh tournamament of fightersh."

Wakka was still staring at the wheel, apparently unable to believe what he just saw, either. "I wouldn't doubt it, ya!"

Tidus sat back in his seat. There was something odd about that man, he thought. And it wasn't just the strength. _Something about the eyes,_ he thought. The man's eyes seemed to see right through you.

The Sindependence Day festival was huge this year. Already the biggest celebration on the planet, the thirtieth anniversary was the largest yet. The advances made in the study of machina had given rise to a host of new machines, including the various new rides people could enjoy.

But the latest and greatest wasn't what made the festival so important this time. This year, the High Summoner and her Guardians were in attendance to mark the thirtieth anniversary. Attendance was at its peak.

Amidst the various new rides and displays were several particularly special events, chiefly the Contests. The contests were annual meetings of the best warriors and mages in Spira. The honor of winning the contests was the greatest one possible for any warrior on the planet. The Contests were divided into several categories: martial arts, archery, magic sorcery, and chocobo jousting. Hundreds of participants were lined up along the edges of the fields, eager to begin. There was a high turnout this year, mostly because of the importance of the occasion; however, there was talk of particularly large rewards this year for the winners.

Lady Yuna and Sir Tidus sat in the top pavilion, along with the Lady Lulu and her husband Sir Wakka, the Lady Rikku and the Ronso Elder Kimahri. Near at hand were close friends and family: Vidina, the son of Lulu and Wakka; Paine, Brother, Buddy, and a now fully grown Shinra, formerly of the Gullwings; the leaders of Spira, Nooj, Gippal, and Baralai, were in attendance, as well as Leblanc and her former Syndicate members; and even Cid, now almost 70, had managed to come. In the bandstands, practically half of Spira had come to see the events unfold.

Notably, one important member of Yuna and Tidus's family was not in the stands; their son, who was mounted on a chocobo among the contestants below. Gainberg was his name, though his parents and friends all called him Gain. Gain was fidgeting nervously on his mount, seemingly more eager to take part in the contests than anyone there. Gain glanced around impatiently at the other arenas to view the other contestants. All the fighters seemed ready and impatient to start. All, that was, save for one. Gain recognized him. He was the one that had lifted his parents' cart out of the rut earlier that day. Among the restless masses, that man was steady as a rock.

Gain was glad that the man was fighting in the martial arts tournament, not in jousting.

Gain glanced around again. The archers were preparing the ranges for their own test of skill. He noted that for the first time in the history of the contests, a girl was participating in the archery. Usually, few women were skilled and strong enough to handle the large contest bows. She, however, seemed tougher than most of the guys there.

In the magic sorcery field, about ten mages were practicing their spells. Little interested him in that field, though he noted one guy had an interesting scar on his right hand in the shape of an orb. The man himself seemed to be strong, an uncommon characteristic among most mages.

_Today is going to be very interesting_, he thought.

At that moment, Sir Tidus and Lady Yuna stood up. Cheers rang out through the throng for the high summoner and her husband. Yuna motioned for them to be silent.

"Today is an important day for us all," Yuna began. "Thirty years ago today, the greatest scourge of Spira was, at long last, destroyed forever!" More cheers rang out. Many still remembered the terror of living with Sin. Yuna motioned for their silence again. "Now, we commemorate the start of the Eternal Calm, the lasting peace, with a tribute to all of the brave souls of Spira: summoners, their guardians, and everyone who ever showed the courage to battle Sin for the millennium of its existence."

Tidus now stepped forward, glancing at the eager multitude. "And now for the fun part! Let the contests begin!" Though Tidus was now middle aged, he demonstrated why he had been the best blitzball player Spira had ever seen. Jumping into a sphere shot, Tidus kicked a blitzball clear across the field to hit a gong on the other side. At the sound of the gong's ring, cheers erupted anew, and the contestants entered their arenas, cheering just as wildly.

Below the bandstands, one man wasn't cheering.

For him, there was something ironic about the whole event. A celebration of peace through fighting was high on the list of things he didn't quite understand. To him, the world wasn't as safe as everyone thought it to be. Sin was no longer the problem, of course, but now he knew that there could be a far worse problem than Sin. A very old one, at that. _Almost as old as I am, _he thought absentmindedly. The thought slipped his mind again, as so many had done lately. A moment later, he no longer remembered what it was that was so important.

He just continued to watch the tournament unfold.

The Contests were underway. The martial arts was the largest of the four, and many would say the most important. About thirty separate fights were underway, three people to a fight, all in neat little rings. Among the contestants were humans, Guado, and even a few Ronso. Also among them was one who seemed unstoppable: Zeth. Not surprising, seeing as how he managed to lift the cart earlier that day.

Zeth dispached his lesser opponents with great ease. Soon, it was down to him, another man, and a Ronso. He was up against the man first. The man was agile and strong, and he circled his opponent around the inside of the ring. He was watching Zeth intently. But Zeth wasn't looking directly at him; his focus was all around and across his opponent. He knew better than to look him in the eyes.

The man moved. A jumping kick. Zeth sidestepped the kick, grabbed the leg as it passed him, and spun the man flat on his face. The man rose quickly, eager now to counter the humiliating maneuver, and unleashed a flurry of punches. Zeth blocked them easily, and on the last punch he spun his opponent again and threw him to the ground. The man rose more slowly now; as he readied himself back into his fighting stance, Zeth landed a jab to his abdomen and followed up with a backhanded uppercut. The man was momentarily dazed by the sudden blows;that moment was all the time Zeth needed. Spinning around on one foot, he hammerblowed his opponent on the back of the head, hard. The man went down, but this time he didn't rise.

The Ronso was next. He was nearly nine foot tall and among the strongest of his race. The Ronso regarded his opponent with contempt, as he did the others before him. The Ronso charged Zeth, but at the last instant, Zeth leapt and spun in the air, bringing his foot down on the back of the Ronso's neck. The well placed kick made the blue giant angry, and as he recovered from the blow, he readied his most powerful punch, one that would surely break Zeth's ribs. What happened next, however, made everyone gasp. Zeth grabbed his opponent's hand as it flew, made an intricate spin at lightning speed, and without so much as straining a muscle he threw the Ronso through the air about twenty feet. The amazing ring out won him the match and the tournament.

The crowds were cheering loud as ever. This year's contests had been spectacular. Now, the prizes were being given to the well-deserving winners.

Zeth stood alongside the winners of the other three contests. Most of the other contestants were recuperating in the stands. As Zeth soon discovered, the rumors had indeed been true. The reward for each winner included one hundred thousand Gil apiece, a stock of items, and a specially made trophy. But that wasn't all.

"For winner of Magic Sorcery, Kimahri present famous Wizard Amulet to Excalim Narook."

Kimahri was giving the awards. Excalim, the man with the scar on his hand, stepped forward to receive the prize. Zeth noted the appearance of this man. Strong, but with a constipated look on his face. He was too uptight, even for Zeth. Excal took the shining piece with stiff dignity.

"For winner of Chocobo Joust, Kimahri present Winged Shoulders to Gainberg, son of Lady Yuna and Sir Tidus!" Gain wore a goofy, almost sheepish grin in front of the crowds. Zeth liked that kind of person: they reminded you that life wasn't all that bad after all. His parents were very proud of their boy, and Zeth heard their famous twin whistles.

"For winner of Archery, Kimahri present Adamantine Bow to Sai Arwell." This was the biggest surprise of the day. The female archer Sai stepped forward to receive the weapon. As she passed, she caught the eye of Zeth. For a brief moment, it seemed as though time slowed. For a brief instant, he could see the fire in those eyes. Then the instant passed by, and so did she. Sai continued toward Kimahri to claim the bow.

"And finally, for outstanding winner of Martial Arts, Kimahri present Lion Crest to Zeth Wallast." Now it was his turn. The Ronso, shorter than most and with a broken horn, now held a slightly triangular plate in his hands. Engraved on the plate was an animal of great strength and pride. Zeth paused for a moment. That symbol seemed familiar somehow...

_Nah, maybe not_, he thought. Zeth took the prize respectfully and retuned.

The winners lined up, holding their prizes above their heads, and the crowds cheered joyfully. The few security guards around the Guests of Honor sighed in relief. The day had gone off without a hitch.

Then, it happened.

Roars louder than the crowd suddenly erupted over the hills. In full view of everyone, a hundred fiends poured over the fields, charging directly at the fairgrounds. People began to panic. The guards surrounded the Guests of Honor and the other dignitaries, fearful for their safety. All hell was breaking loose, and there wasn't a thing they could do about it.

Zeth turned and saw the horde of fiends approaching. But he did not run. Instead, he cracked his neck and fingers. Calmly, he reached for his weapon of choice on the sidelines: a two-handed ax.

He calmly walked into the field, as though the fiends did not exist. They were, by now everywhere around him. Suddenly, he looked at the nearest one, and swung the axe. The fiend never saw it coming. Without pause, Zeth hefted the ax into another swing. Another fiend fell. His axe sweeped now into deadly arcs and chops, over and over. Fiends fell before him, one right after another.

The other winners took cue from Zeth. Gain brought out his two short swords, saying "Come on! Let's give him a hand!". Sai quivered an arrow into her new bow. Excal brought out an iron cudgel, the stiff look on his face replaced by one of anger. The three joined the fray, attacking fiercely.

The fiends had by now taken notice of the four warriors. The tide of the fiends movements shifted in their direction. Sai fired her arrows from a stump with deadly precision. Zeth covering her from below with his axe, cutting all fiends that came near. Gain and Excal took up the flanks. Gain's swords gleamed and sung as he danced to their deadly tune. Excal's club stopped fiends in their tracks with sickening thuds. Sai's arrows picked the fliers out of the sky. And Zeth's ax never stopped moving.

By the time guard reinforcements had arrived, the battle was already over. No one, fortunately, had died, though there were several injuries from the panicked scramble of the mob. All told, 107 fiends fell that day. Almost half fell before Zeth.

The four warriors stopped to catch their breath. None could believe what just happened.

Zeth glanced back through the horde of pyreflies left from the onslaught. There were so many, innumerable streaks of light streaming through the air like flares in a light fog. As they dispersed, they seemed to almost flow together, their tails converging into an endless stream of souls.


	2. CHAPTER 2: Knowlege Lost

_INTRASEGMENT 1_

(time: 40 years ago)

The creature was irritated. Not by Yu Yevon; that weak-minded fool had been forced to give up his pathetic struggling long ago; his mind might as well have been cabbage now. Not by the planet the misreably weak humans called home either; Spira was the reason the creature was here. Still, the creature was irritated as it reflected on the past nine and a half centuries. For more than that amount of time, the creature had ruled over the planet as that which humans called Sin. The creature's control was so absolute, even it's slave was worshipped as the figurehead of a major religion. **_The fools,_** the creature thought to itself. **_They worship the man who kills them._** And there was no chance of them changing their beliefs just yet, not while the creature still orchestrated the activities of the praetors through its influence. No one had suspected the truth, not even the high priests of the temples, for almost seven centuries. And no one would find it out until it was far too late.

But now, as it had foreseen, there was a problem. Though the creature retained control of the planet, it had not achieved its aim, not by the half. For though Sin was the most powerful creature Spira had ever seen, it had one mortal foe: the summoners. They were just like the slave the creature used, each with the ability to call Aeons; more importantly, their "Final" Aeons were the only ones capable of defeating Sin, time and time again. Of course, they died in the process, and the creature needed only to take over their Final Aeon to recreate Sin. But that took precious energy, energy the creature needed so desperately to accomplish its goals. As long as summoners could defeat Sin, Sin was essentially useless, a project nearly a millenia in the making that was ultimately worthless to the creature's ultimate goal.

More annoyingly, the primitive "temples of Yevon" supporting these summoners had managed to find and seal the gates to the one alternative route the creature had for gathering up the energy it needed, making it seemingly useless as an option.

The only thing that appeased the creature now was its foresight. It had considered the possibility of such a situation centuries ago, and had begun a process to reopen its second, more viable option. And now at last, It was time for the next phase of its centuries old plan. The time...the place...the people...all in place for the next step, at last, because the creature had ensured for almost a millenia that they would be.

**_Even in death_,** the creature mused as it directed Sin through a secret portal to the dream world version of Zanarkand, the former home of the human it now controlled, **_nothing is entirely useless._** Sin would be destroyed, and its work would seemingly be for naught. But that was how the creature had planned it, how it had forseen it would be. Yevon would be branded the one responsible for a millenia of crimes, while the creature's careful work and preparation would go unnoticed and unknown.

_**Yes, it is finally time to accelerate my plans.**_

**CHAPTER 2: Knowlege Lost**

(time: present)

The rest of the day, thankfully, went without further trouble.

By the time the fiends had all perished, more guards had been scrambled across the fairgrounds; the entire perimeter was now so secure that it would take a wave of fiends twice as large as the last to break through. It was incredible that nothing further happened, that the fiends didn't strike again. But the guards kept their posts, and no one would be hurt.

Still, the festive mood was dampened to a large degree for the remainder of the day.

The contest winners, now tired from the recent fighting, were standing in front of the Guests of Honor and the leaders of Spira. The planet was now under a unified government, the Spiran People's Order, formed after the brief tensions between the three factions 28 years ago. Baralai, head of the Defense Ministry, stood pacing. The near-catastrophic failure of security that day had been roughest on him. He motioned for the young fighters to take seats.

"I feel as though we must commend you all once again," Baralai began as soon as they were seated. "If it hadn't been for your courage and valor in battle, we would be dealing with a hundred casualties at least today."

Gain cracked a grin. "I think you've already got a hundred casualties at least in fiends to deal with, sir."

A few of the guards snorted slightly with laughter. Baralai silenced them an annoyed look, then continued speaking. "Certainly, that is true, Gainberg. A hundred fiends is a lot to deal with, alive or dead. You four, however, certainly seemed up to the task."

"Especially you, Zeth," Gippal chimed in, his good eye flashing next to a mechanical one. "Where'd you learn to handle an axe like that? That's what I'd like to know." Zeth glanced over at the Head of Development and gave him a half-smile. "I used to chop wood for the Kilika temple," he replied, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "I was...good at it. There's not really much else to it."

Gippal snorted slightly, nodding as though to say he understood when he really did not. "Well, I've got elite soldiers who wouldn't be able to match you. I'm impressed."

A few indignant-sounding coughs came from the guards across the room. Zeth guessed they were among Gippal's elite.

Nooj, the head of Public Relations, helped himself to a standing position with his cane. "Now, though, there remains one problem: namely, where did over a hundred fiends come from, when just yesterday they were a rare sight? Moreover, why did they carry out a systematic attack on the fairgrounds? That, we must discover with great haste, or else it will probably reoccur." Nooj paused, thinking. "We've managed to maintain the Eternal Calm for thirty years, more or less, and I don't want outbreaks of fiends spoiling it for Spira." Everyone nodded in agreement.

Excal, though, seemed unconcerned with the proceedings. "Well, it seems you have quite a problem to deal with," he said momentarily. " But I think we should allow you some time to work it out. I, for one, need to return to Bevelle, see my folks..."

"Uh, uh; not afta today, ya?" Wakka suddenly said.

Excal shot him a glance. "What do you mean by that? I'm through here, am I not?"

Wakka was slightly taken aback, but Baralai spoke before he could. "In fact, there's another reason why we wanted to speak with you. You see, given how well you demonstrated your talents this afternoon, and due to the circumstances..."

"You want our help finding out why." Zeth said. Baralai glanced over at the young man. _Hmm...keen fellow, this one_, he thought to himself. "Err, yes, actually. With your skills, you would be a valuable asset to our investigative committee."

Excal snorted slightly. "Why should we be interested in doing the government's job?" he remarked dismissively. Baralai frowned slightly. "Government work pays, young man," he remarked, "and you will be no exception. If you agree to help us, we will pay you substantially for your efforts."

Excal hesitated slightly. "How much are you talking?"

"The prize money you won today will be pocket change in comparison. If the mission is a failure, we will still give you five million-"

"_FIVE MILLION?_" Gain practically yelped, his eyes suddenly very wide open. "Thats one and a quarter million each!"

"No, not five million for the group, Gainberg," Gippal corrected. "That's five EACH, and only if you find nothing. If you succeed, however, you'll get twelve million Gil apiece. Either way, you will also keep all spoils won in battles, if and when they occur."

Gain glanced over at his parents. "Well, if it's okay with Mom and Dad, I'd love to!" he said, looking as though his birthday had come early. Tidus looked over at Yuna, who nodded to him. "We were already asked, Gain. Just be careful, and make your old man proud, okay?" he said to his boy. Gain grinned exitedly. This, he thought, was shaping up to be a good day overall.

Zeth glanced over at Baralai, then over at the three amazed expressions on the faces next to him, his mind processing what he'd just heard. Twelve million Gil apiece was an incredibly large reward for such a task; somehow, the readiness of Spira's leaders to depart with it so easily unsettled him. It seemed that something else was worrying these men more than perhaps five hundred fiends could.

But twelve million Gil was certainly enough to compensate for whatever happened. Somehow, Zeth knew that the offer was for real, no matter what the reasons were; ultimately, it was too good for any sane being to turn down. Hesaid, "I guess there is no point in refusing; I have no reason to, anyway."

Excal, still wary of spending more than a day fulfilling someone else's responsibilities but attracted by the offer, reluctantly consented. "Alright, but I want to be paid as soon as we're done."

Sai, who had been silent until now, responded last. "I guess...yes, I'll participate. But tell me one thing: who will lead this operation?"

"You four will head a small detachment of our investigative staff. Your job is to provide them defense (as the events of today demonstrate such need) and to assist them in any way you can. Your priorities are: 1. Investigate the source of the fiends, 2. Discover the reason for their attack, and 3. Nullify it if possible, otherwise report your findings. The first two will be the job primarily of our staff. The last part may be up to you, but do not get in over your heads. If you need more assistance, send your request back to us and we will send out any force you need immediately."

Zeth now spoke again. "When do we begin this...security work?"

"You'll start tomorrow. Our staff will gather and pack your supplies tonight, and you will depart at nine o'clock tomorrow morning with the Trackfinders; first, though, you should eat and rest," Nooj said.

"All right! I'm all for the food!" Gain said, nearly bouncing out of his seat. Everyone seemed to feel the same way as he did; after the strain of the day, food was a welcome commodity.

Later that night, after the annual celebration feast, Zeth sat by the edge of the fair grounds. Things were beginning to quiet down now, and security was still at maximum, so he was taking the opportunity to relax and watch the people move about the place. Many people were leaving, as much from a need to return to their homes as from a fear of another attack.

Zeth disliked fiends. They always seemed to spoil the moment for everyone.

A few minutes later, he noticed what looked to be Baralai speaking with a hunched over figure not thirty feet away from where he sat. Whomever the figure was, he looked to be incredibly old. His beard hung well below his neck, and thick glasses rested on the bridge of his nose. Zeth's sharp ears could almost make out some of what he was saying. He seemed to say, "Terrible... what may happen if...think they should...may know some...long thought about..."

Zeth gave uptrying. It was still almost impossible to hear anything over the noise of the few remaing people, who had elected to stay the night in the vast array of tents within the fairgrounds.

Sighing, he looked up at the stars, wondering what tomorrow would bring.

_The sky was dark._

_But not completely so._

_Wind whipped around the side of the mountain. But the wind couldn't be making that eerie noise. No, there was something unnerving about that howl. He wasn't hearing it with his ears. It was in his mind. It was as if some great being called out in fear._

_The sky's darkness was broken by the light of the stars, which seemed to be pulsing with unseen energy, and by the most ominous looking ball of fire ever seen by man. _

_And that was getting closer. _

_As he looked over the ocean, the object grew larger as it approached, as though drawn by something, toward the water. _

_About ten miles out, something pulsed in the water, too. Something blacker than the night itself._

_And the fireball was approaching the blackness. Fast._

_The ball grew larger as it approached. He wanted to run. But he wouldn't move, couldn't move. The ball was enormous, nearly the size of a blitzball pool. Still, though he urged his legs to run, his body seemed intent on staying. And then, all at once, the deadly ball struck the water._

_A huge flash of light erupted. Even now, he wouldn't move. He just waited. Time slowed. The unholy explosion nearly reached him-_

And then he awoke.

Excal sat up in bed, covered in sweat. It took him less than two seconds to realize that it had been a dream.

Excal lay back down. Nightmares didn't usually plague his sleep, and this one was beginning to annoy him. He had the same dream days before. For a brief moment, he considered his own reaction. Dreams about large explosions, he thought, couldn't be all that common. Was he experiencing something else? Maybe he was.

_What, then? _he mused to himself, scorning the thought as soon as he thought it. _It's not like it means anything to me._

Satisfied with being annoyed, he let the thought pass. Tomorrow, he would have to begin the ridiculously overpaid job of, in all likelihood, being continuously assaulted by meaningless irritations like this. And he, for one, wasn't looking forward to it, despite the reward.

Five small rings swung in a line, each attached to a length string in front of a target.

It was early in the morning. Even the birds hadn't begun to sing yet, and the light of dawn had barely begun to creep over the past night's sky.

Sai was holding very still, intently watching the swinging rings, as though waiting for a fish to swim into a net. The rings' wide swings had begun to slow, sweeping gentler and gentler arcs. In Sai's hand was the Adamant Bow, an arrow already quivered in it.

She held the short but powerful bow drawn, the arrowhead steadily pointed in the direction of the target.

The small holes in the rings begun to align. Very slowly, a definite channel to the center of the target, small and shifting with the movement of the rings, was being formed between them.

The channel was barely wider than the smooth feathers of Sai's arrow. Finally, the rings barely came to a stop.

The arrow flew, and hit the center of the target.

None of the rings moved, not even by a hair. The arrow's nock seemed to float in mid air, dead-center with the ring channel. Sai relaxed slightly, satisfied.

"I can see why you won the archery tournament so easily!" a bemused voice said behind her.

Sai turned to see one of the festival winners, Zeth, leaning against a support pole connected to one of the tents.

"I was getting a better feel for this new bow," she replied, realizing with some embarrassment that she had not heard him come. Too much focus on any one thing, she knew, was a sure way to be caught by surprise in combat; moreover, it limited her ability to completely understand a situation.

Zeth glanced down the range, noting that the target was new and otherwise unblemished, save for her arrow. She had made a single shot, no more. "Well, it certainly didn't take you very long to do that, did it?" This made her laugh a bit, a slight smile emerging at the corner of her lip. "Well, I've had practise," she said mildly.

She looked at him again. For the first time, she considered his large form. Imposing though his tall and muscular frame seemed, he seemed nevertheless to carry himself with a calm stillness, the early morning light glowing on his messy brown hair. His attire seemed strange to her, seeming somehow simpler than the clothes most people she had seen wearing. The flexible yet metallic armor he wore over them was unlike anything she had ever seen. Seemingly made of thousands of tiny metal scales framed with bar like supports around the outer edges of the armor, the entire piece was at once solid and fluid, holding its shape while flexing to let him move freely. A small axe was tucked almost casually in his belt, its blade flush with his abdomen. He was clearly cut out as a warrior, she thought.

"So, what do you think it is?" she asked momentarily, glancing toward the fairgrounds.

"What what is?" he replied, following her line of vision to the hills beyond.

"What do you think made those fiends attack? They don't usually congregate like that."

"They've been known to attack in large numbers before now. Fiends will attack anyone, and a large gathering of people is a prime target when seen. What bothers me is that the government seems intent on recruiting us to take care of it."

Sai frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Zeth turned to look at her. "Why would they want to pay a fortune for four twenty-something year olds when they can call upon a far greater force to handle the same task at a much smaller cost? It's as though they know something else is going on."

Sai considered his response. He had a very good point; still, it was nothing like what she would have expected a simple fighter to have thought so readily. There was more to him than first met the eye. "So, where do you think we should search first? The reports said the fiends came out of the wastes of Macalania."

Zeth nodded. The wastes were all that was left now of the once beautiful Macalania woods. "That would probably mean they either came out of Macalania itself, or more likely from the direction of the Calm Lands. I doubt it would have come from Bevelle, but then again, Bevelle has had its share of secrets."

Sai nodded thoughtfully. Looking at Zeth once again, her eyes happened upon his for a brief moment. Something about them seemed different to her as they shone a light brown in the morning sunlight. As he turned his head away from the light, they were still shining.

"So, what do you use that little ax for?" she asked conversationally, wanting to think about something understandable for a change.

Zeth grinned slightly at her. "This," he said casually, "Is for throwing." In one smooth motion, he whipped out the hatchet, spun and threw it at the target. It spiraled end over end, deftly slicing through the strings holding up the rings and hitting the target. It split her arrow straight down the shaft in the process.

Sai considered him again as he went to reclaim his ax. There was definitely more to him than met the eye.

_This will be a very interesting trip,_ she thought, joining him as he left for the far edge of the fair grounds.

Sai was, Zeth thought as they walked toward the edge of the fairgrounds, interesting in her own right. She was nearly five foot nine, he judged, and wore a simple but elegant blue silk outfit that billowed sligtly out of the tough leather plates protecting her front and limbs. A large quiver of arrows formed a cross on her back with her bow, the ends of both brushing the swinging ponytail of her dirty-blond hair. Her face, like her garment, possessed an intrinsic softness to it, though her blue eyes burned with the same definite intensity he could see in her poise, as though reflecting a hidden inner strength. Other than her bow and quiver, he noted what appeared to be an ornamental staff the length of a short walking cane clipped to her belt. Perhaps it was a souvenir from somewhere, Zeth thought to himself.

As they approached, Sai and Zeth noticed a group of about a dozen men and women standing and talking around a chocobo-drawn cart filled with bizarre equipment and other supplies. Zeth overheard two voices in a spirited arguement over large fiends.

"What? No way!" Gain was saying indignantly. "A chimera would never beat a behemoth! One behemoth could take on three chimeras and whip 'em all in one fell swoop!"

"Pssh! The chimera would hit it with Medigo Flame and roast it for lunch!" Excal replied in what was quickly becoming his usual irritated way.

_This is going to be a long trip_, Zeth thought, groaning to himself.

Presently, the which-fiend-could-pulverize-which arguement wound down, and the group was preparing to leave. Behind them, someone cleared their throat. Defense Head Baralai and an ancient looking old man, his beard longer than his face, with thick glasses and a green scolar's cloak, were standing behind them. "Excuse me, but would you mind taking me along with you?" the old man said, hobbling over to the group with somewhat surprising speed.

Excal wasn't at all pleased. "Hey, wha- who are you? Who's this old guy alluva sudden?"

Excal realized with a start that it was the same old man he had seen the previous night.

Gain seemed to know him better. "You must be- Maeachen! The thousand-year-old wise man from Zanarkand! My parents told me of you."

"And you must be Gainberg, I'm sure," Maeachen, the unsent scholar, replied with a warm smile.

"What brings you here?" Gain asked.

"Maeachen says he knows a few things that may be of use to you on your quest." Baralai said carefully.

"Well, then tell us, so we can be on our way," Excal said, apparantly irritated at the thought of having some boring scholar prattle on about who-knows what.

"Well, that's just the trouble, young Excalim. You see, my memory isn't what it used to be. I never even remembered that I was an unsent until almost thirty years ago! But, when I see and hear certain things in my travels, I am inspired to remember many important facts! I will not be a burden to you all; of that I can assure you."

Excal grunted in annoyed frustration.

Baralai now spoke again, apparantly ignoring Excal's lack of enthusiasm. "As he is now well over a thousand years old, Maeachen is sure to know something that will hasten your mission to completion. At this point, you should accept all help you receive. I have granted him permission to serve as an adviser in the investigation."

Excal gave up, sighing and rolling his eyes. "All right, but don't get in our way, old man." He said. walking over to the other side of the cart in a huff.

A minute later, the group left the fairgrounds to carry out their mission.

None knew what to expect from the journey, Baralai knew.

He, however, had a better idea, and didn't like its implications in the least. If the old scholar's predictions had any merit, fiends would be the least of Spira's worries.

As he watched them leave, he silently prayed to himself that the old fellow was just getting senile in his extreme old age.

Author's note: Though I won't say how or specifically into what just yet, this fanfic will extend beyond just the realm of Final Fantasy 10. Trust me though, the connection will be extremely important. This thing is going to be huge. Please review! Thanks!


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